Roots and Fruits pt.1 : The Spirit of Love & the Root of Fear

Roots have two main functions: 1) to anchor the plant to the soil and 2) to provide the uptake and absorption of water and nutrients. Because they are out of sight, roots are often out of mind. They are widely overlooked for their significance in plant health. It has been estimated that 80% of all plant problems start with soil/root problems.

In Psalm 1:3 and Jer 17: 8, God compares us to a tree. His promise is to give us roots that reach down to the water so we are not impacted by drought, always bear fruit and experience success in all that we do! The "Boscia albitrunca" tree, called the "Tree of Life" because it offers sustenance to both humans and animals, grows in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. Because of its parched environment, it needs a deep root system to gather as much water as possible. One 32-foot high boscia albitrunca had roots that grew 223 feet down--about the equivalent of an 18-story building! If we all develop root systems like this remarkable tree, there will never be another complaint about a lack of spiritual food or dry conditions in the church!

We want to look at the relationship between roots and fruits and how we go about identifying and dealing with the bad roots that produce bad fruits! The root of fear and its power over people and relationship is obvious. The solution to the problem of fear is found in 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Pastor Rick Warren has observed that: “. . . fear that disconnects human beings". When we’re full of fear and anxiety, we don’t get close to each other. In fact, we back off. We’re afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, used. All of these fears cause us to be disconnected in life.

Fear does three terrible things to relationships:

Fear makes us defensive. When people point out weaknesses, we retaliate and defend ourselves.

Fear keeps us distant. We don’t let people get close to us. We withdraw. We hide our emotions.

So where do you get the courage to take the first step to connect with someone and go into a deeper level of intimacy? The Bible says “God is love” and “Love casts out all fear.” The more of God you have in your life, the less fear you’re going to have in your life. “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. . . . Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.” (1 John 4:16a, 18a NLT)

Studies of the human brain show how negative, traumatic experiences can literally become hard wired and rooted into our thought patterns. When this happens, we need a renewing of the mind, a rewiring of how we respond to traumatic and painful events. One way that this happens is through the ministry of God’s Word as we read, meditate and let it transform and change our inner thoughts.

So if you have a fear problem, meditate on the promises of God’s love. It will be medicine to your soul and healing to your heart and mind.